The nut industry is one of the underrated businesses in Nigeria, despite its enormous potential to improve the livelihoods of rural communities and improve the country’s economy.

Its production in the country is particularly unique due to the vast natural walnut forest in the eastern and western states, which plays an important role in sustaining the livelihoods of local communities.

The main use of nuts is for food. Walnuts are eaten as a snack, as are peanuts and cashews. It can be eaten on its own or added to a dish or food to make nut bread, nut pie, nut soup, and nut cake, among others.

There are many varieties of nuts, with different types of shells: paper shell, thin shell, medium shell, and hard shell. The varieties are – Lake English and Wilson, among others. Currently, there is a hybrid variety, which matures quickly in three to four years, while forest walnut takes about eight years to fruit and about 10 years to ripen.

Walnuts are also used in the preparation of popular medicines, although little evidence has indicated the effectiveness of such treatments. The nuts are also used to produce beer, whiskey, paint, ink and dyes and for some other applications.

China is the world’s largest producer of this crop, accounting for around 50 percent of total world production. The United States ranks second, accounting for almost a third of global nut production. The European Union, Ukraine, Chile, Turkey and Moldova are the other main nut producing countries.

The African walnut (king of walnuts) is mainly found in Nigeria and other African countries. In the western part of the country it is known as Asala while the Igbos call it Ukpa and grows in all cocoa producing states, mainly in southern Nigeria.

Walnuts contain between 63 and 70 percent oil, over 90 percent of this oil contains unsaturated fatty acids and the oleic acid content ranges from 12 to 20 percent. Phytosterols and vitamin E are also dissolved in the oily fraction and these, along with oleic acid, are the most positive nutritional characteristics of nuts.

Reports indicate that most people consume it without knowing its importance for health. Consuming 75 grams of nuts per day has been found to improve vitality, motility, and sperm morphology in healthy men aged 21-35.

The walnut makes the skin shine because it is rich in B vitamins and antioxidants, which prevents the skin from damage caused by free radicals, thus stopping wrinkles and aging. It is also good for pregnant women as it is a diet high in fatty acids which can reduce the chances of developing food allergies in the baby.

It is also good for people with high blood pressure and other heart conditions because it contains L-arginine. Research has shown that nuts can stimulate sperm due to the presence of healthy fatty acids such as omega-3 fatty acids among others which play an important role in sperm development and increased fertility. in women and men.

Consuming nuts also helps with weight loss and the management of sleep disorders. Walnut leaf extract is another natural antioxidant that plays a good role in regulating menstrual flow. It helps improve menstrual flow and inhibit menstrual defects encountered by many women during their period.

Harvest is a healthy snack to help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, it improves brain function – it is a good source of vitamin B-6 also known as pyridoxine which helps the human brain to function properly and improves cognitive abilities. It also contains Biotin (Vitamin B7) which helps to give hair strength, reduce hair loss and improve hair growth to some extent.

National President of the National Association of Nut Producers, Processors and Traders of Nigeria (NAWAGPMAN), Dr Austine Maduka, said there are no numbers or statistics on nuts in Nigeria because this which is available is the wild crops which are still at the local commercial level, he argued that the cultivation can bring Nigeria 100 billion naira per year and create direct and indirect jobs for more than 5,000 people.

He added that if the value chain for the production, handling, processing and marketing of the product is properly developed, the country will derive abundantly from the nut in terms of income and job creation.

Maduka said, “In and around Omo and Shasha Forest Reserves in Ogun and Osun States respectively, the data obtained was analyzed using descriptive and inferential test statistics. It is estimated that 30.01 kg of African walnut were mined per month between May and September of each year in forest reserves, contributing approximately N 615,833.30 to the rural economies of the two regions. About 17.0 percent of respondents generated income between N 11,000.00 and N20,000.00 per month, representing up to 50.0% of their monthly income during the production period.

“Forty to 50 kg of nuts can be obtained per walnut. Imagine how many nuts you will get from 100 trees. Five pieces of nuts go for 200 N in Akwa Ibom state, can you calculate how much you will earn just for one tree, let alone one hectare of nuts. You continue to harvest each year once production has started. And the harvest increases every year and can last for 30 years.

“The market for nuts is large; people are looking for where to buy nuts in large quantities in Nigeria.

Based on its many benefits and potential, experts and industry players believe that if a real investment is given to the nut industry, it can spark an industrial revolution in the country and beyond. , each community having hybrid nut farms and processing factories that can engage millions of Nigeria in its cultivation and processing.

But to achieve this, several challenges facing the industry must be addressed immediately, if farmers and other stakeholders are to make progress in making the crop a source of money for the country. The National President said that for the product’s potential to become a reality, several key elements need to be addressed, including the legal and regulatory framework, as well as an understanding of markets and buyers.

“Some of the factors and threats affecting product availability are seasonality (64.3%), destruction of mother plants (28.6%), consumption of nuts by wild animals (28.6%), infestations pests and diseases (7.1%), and spoilage during storage (7.1%). The absence of hybrid nut seedlings is a huge constraint on nut cultivation, ”he said.

To make the nut a huge source of foreign exchange for the country, Maduka said several key things, including the legal and regulatory framework, as well as understanding global practice. “These include the use of national and international standards by local producers, the use of modern production methods, marketing and storage.

“Walnut has the answer to the economic problems of Nigeria and Africa. For example, of the more than 84 million hectares of arable land available in Nigeria, if five million hectares are devoted to young farmers for industrial nut production, this will engage more than 1,000,000 young people or more each year. .

“New members and interested persons should contact our state coordinators for registration, as we work with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) and the Research and Development Council raw materials to domesticate nuts in the country. “

NAWAGPMAN National Secretary Chief Ayodele Dada said opportunities in walnut lie in a wide variety of industries including healthcare, wholesale, retail, financial services, educational services , information, business management, business support, manufacturing, recreation, research and development, real estate and hospitality.

He added that the walnut could employ more than 500 workers, including farm laborers.

“Small businesses are expected to account for the bulk of future job growth in the nut industry. “

The nut value chain involves adding value to the nut by processing the nut into various utility items with the aim of maximizing profits. With the right partnership with FMITI, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), RMDRI, states, legal entities and other relevant agencies, an industrial revolution can be unleashed. Each local council can have viable nut farms and processing plants.

For his part, Northwest Vice President Alhaji Bala Umar said that FMITI must make immense efforts to develop and diversify the nut industry, increase its export competitiveness, as it is seen as an important sector of the economy and a source of income for farmers and many rural families.

“However, the transition requires significant capacity building and work is underway on issues such as modern agricultural practices, food safety, plant health, as well as international quality standards to ensure the sustainability of the crop. agricultural trade.

“As an association, we will be involved in the export of nuts and their by-products. Our aim is to provide customers with healthy products. As Nigeria has the largest wild mountain nut forest, we will encourage cooperatives to purchase the most modern equipment for processing and packaging nuts. The training will be very useful; so that we can learn more about the international quality standards because we are planning to enter the international market. “